I took the kids to school in the Suburban and then returned home to grab the Vespa. The weather report was saying the temperature would reach the mid-sixties. I thought it would be neat to go the whole day.

Off to work around 8 a.m. The only problem was that crazy fuel tank cap. I had to keep it loose to keep the bike from stalling. 11:50 a.m. I headed downtown to a lunch appointment. I left the bike parked at the office and walked to Sticky Fingers for lunch. On the way there, I did stall once at a stop light. I couldn't get started up the hill. By 1:30 p.m. I was back in my office.

No stalls on the way back, but I did lose the nut that holds the gas cap down. Because I have had to keep it so loose, the nut was too close to the end of the threaded pin. While it was off, I hit a bump and could smell the fuel come rushing out. Sure enough I got to my office and saw the fuel on the body of the bike.

The worse news is that while I was sitting in my office I kept smelling the fuel. I figured I had gotten it on my pants somewhere. I had to suffer through for the next several hours until I could head home. At 5:10 p.m., I got on the bike and headed home.

By the way, I have been putting my rack on the front of the bike to put my satchel on. It works pretty well, but I'm sure it looks pretty funny. Anyway, I figure it is too late to avoid that!

After I got home, I changed and headed out to a local parts dealer to see if I could find a temporary solution for keeping that cap closed. I found one, but it works too well! Now I can't keep the cap loose. On the way home it kept stalling out because the cap was too tight.

The good news is that I ordered a new cap today. I also added some spark plugs, light bulbs, brake light switch, fourth hand tool, and a new headlamp lens. They probably won't be here until early next week. I think those few things will help me through some headaches.

It was pretty cool to use the Vespa as my only source of transportation for the day - other than taking the kids to school. When summer comes, maybe I could go a whole week using only the Vespa. We'll give it a try.

Oh, one more thing, Heebie attracted some attention at the auto parts store. I spent a good amount of time talking about it in the parking lot. Also, the mailman delivering mail at the Worthwhile office also stopped to talk about the Vespa and other scooters. He said he was looking to get one. I wished him luck!